If there is a more serene and ethereal place than the beach I have yet to find it. I simply cannot conceive of what my childhood would have been like without the backdrop of the beach behind it.  These days, when I need to put things into perspective it's the first place that I think to go, and the last I want to leave. Divinity is available everywhere, in many forms, but I find mine most easily when at the ocean. It's all the better if I can share it with people that I love. I hope that these photographs and the energy behind them have the same effect on everyone who stops long enough to take a closer look. 

When the opportunity to contribute to The Art of Elysium presented itself, I knew immediately that I wanted the elements of beach life - sun, sand, water and of course, people - to be central to this exhibit. As human beings first, and as artists second, we are forever parceling out our dispositions on one another. For those of us that have the great fortune to be healthy, we have an obligation to do what we can to ensure that what we share with the world is as close to joy as we can muster. This is what The Art of Elysium does through their workshops, and hopefully this exhibition will further that. 

Finally, thank you to my father for his offering of such a succinctly beautiful name for this collection of photographs - "Playa y Sol".  This exhibition is dedicated to my parents and four sisters, who by their love and example keep me grounded daily. 

-Nino Muñoz

Nino Muñoz Bio